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Deadly Earthquake Strikes Central Italy; President Obama Travels to Turkey; U.S., South Korea Protest North Korean Missile Launch

Aired April 06, 2009 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome. Glad you're with us on this Monday, April 6th. I'm Kiran Chetry. We have Carol Costello with us this morning. Good to see you.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CO-ANCHOR: I think John is on the beaches of Florida with his daughter...

CHETRY: That's right.

COSTELLO: ... getting tanned. Isn't that wonderful?

CHETRY: Some sort of coconut drink with an umbrella.

COSTELLO: Do you think this early? I think it's probably so. You know when you get used to getting up this early, you just get up this early.

CHETRY: Exactly. To him this is music.

COSTELLO: Exactly. So have fun, John.

We do have a lot to cover this morning. Here are the big stories we'll be covering in the next 15 minutes.

Breaking news, new pictures of a deadly earthquake in central Italy. Officials say at least 20 people are dead including four children. A state of emergency has now been declared. Rescue operations under way with dozens of people unaccounted for. We're going to check in with our sources on the ground in just a minute.

President Obama is in Turkey this morning. His first visit to a Muslim country since taking office. And the president will seek help from Turkey as he pushes a new regional strategy in Afghanistan. Right now, the president is meeting with the president, Abdullah Gul. The two men are expected to speak at this hour. In a moment, we'll take you live to Turkey for the latest.

And no official reaction yet from the international community to North Korea's rocket launch. President Obama wants strong international condemnation for the launch which triggered an emergency Security Council meeting, but the United States is butting heads with China which is calling for calm and restraint. We're digging deeper for a reaction and what North Korea may have learned from the launch.

CHETRY: Returning now to our breaking news, an intense rescue effort is under way right now after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked central Italy overnight. Officials say that at least 20 people are dead, including four children, but officials warn that the death toll is expected to get higher.

It hit just past 3:30 in the morning local time near the city of L'Aquila. It knocked down buildings and sent tens of thousands of panicked residents into the streets. That quake, in fact, so powerful that tremors were felt more than 60 miles away in Rome.

Reporter Delia Gallagher was in Rome when that earthquake struck. She joins us now on the phone -- Delia.

VOICE OF DELIA GALLAGHER, JOURNALIST: I can tell you it was a scary evening for many Italians who were woken up in the middle of the night with this very strong earthquake centered in L'Aquila in central Italy, a region that has many small medieval towns around it. We have just spoken to a spokesman from the Italian Civil Protection Authority, which is the agency that handles these rescue efforts, and they are staying away from any definite numbers of victims, but they told us the situation's extremely complicated.

There are hundreds of buildings which perhaps you can see that have been damaged and many of these having been collapsed, and they believe that there are still people under the rubble.

The prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, canceled his scheduled trip to Moscow today. He's heading to the region and he says he fears that the number of victims is probably higher than the 20 or so that have so far been reported in the Italian media. He has declared a state of emergency for this region and, of course, the big problem now is coordinating the rescue efforts.

There are many small towns here. Access is difficult. Cell phone coverage is difficult. And there are thousands of people who are displaced, though they are going to have to find them housing and shelter but the immediate emergency is, of course, digging underneath that rubble to see if anybody is there -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Delia Gallagher from the city of L'Aquila this morning, just not far, 60 miles away from Rome. We'll continue to follow the latest developments on this story and check in with you throughout the morning. Thanks, Delia.

COSTELLO: Also developing this morning, President Obama is in Turkey and right now meeting with President Abdullah Gul. The sit-down coming just hours after the president laid a wreath at the tomb of modern Turkey's first president.

Now this is President Obama's first visit to a Muslim country as president, I should say. The trip not only symbolic but potentially full of opportunities as the United States seeks to forge better relations with the Middle East.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux traveling with the president. She joins us now from Turkey.

Suzanne, what is the president hoping to accomplish with his visit today?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Carol, obviously, he really wants to change the whole dynamic, the relationship between the United States as well as the Muslim world. It was one of those things he talked about his first day taking office. And President Bush really had a very complicated and strained relationship with Turkey, but as you mentioned, this is a predominantly Muslim country. It's the only predominantly Muslim country that's a member of NATO, and it could be very, very helpful on a number of fronts here.

Obviously, it borders Iran, Iraq, as well as Syria so it is physically, geographically and politically positioned to try to make some inroads when it comes to Middle East peace. And Turkey could be a real broker when it comes to the Israelis and the Palestinians, or whether it comes to Israel and Syria, or even in the United States and Iran. Turkey could be very much a broker, a mediator.

And so Barack Obama is sitting down with their leadership today. Also addressing the people of this country and beyond this country saying look, we are going to be very serious about the Middle East peace process. We're going to be serious about bringing these sides together. He really wants to change, fundamentally change the dynamic of the relationship -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, Barack Obama has been well received, you know, in Europe, but what about Turkey? How is he being received in this Muslim country?

MALVEAUX: I have to say, Carol, I mean, it's like night and day. I was here before covering President Bush and you saw really, you could feel the stress, the strain, the disdain towards Americans, towards President Bush in particular. You walk the streets of Ankara and what do you see? You see these posters, these signs very much you see back in the United States of Barack Obama.

There's even a place in Istanbul, one of our producers said it's a local bakery where they've got baklava, as you know the Middle Eastern desert there, and they've got his face, Barack Obama's face on the baklava. They call it "Baracklava," you know. I mean, this is the kind of thing you see in Washington, D.C, you don't expect to see in a predominantly Muslim country. Obviously, there is a lot of at least some hope of change here that there is going to be someone who's going to be able to usher in a different type of tone and perhaps more cooperation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I guess we'll see. Suzanne Malveaux live in Turkey this morning. Again, President Obama expected to speak in just about 40 minutes at 6:45 Eastern if everything goes on time. We'll bring to you live right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

CHETRY: Also developing right now, Russia's military confirming U.S. and South Korean claims that North Korea failed to put a satellite into orbit with its missile launch this weekend. Meantime, the United Nations Security Council met in emergency session Sunday, but failed to reach an agreement on a response to that launch. President Obama has called it a provocative act and is demanding U.N. action. China, though, standing in the way, calling for calm and restraint. The Chinese statement referred to the rocket as an experimental communications satellite. Still the American ambassador to the U.N. says North Korea clearly broke the rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: The United States expressed its strong view that the launch yesterday constituted a clear-cut violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, and it is our view that this action merits a clear and strong response from the United Nations Security Council.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Our Chris Lawrence is following developments from Washington.

Chris, good morning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. You know, bottom line, the U.S. says this launch failed. But North Korea learned from this test, and it's probably one step closer to having a missile that can reach the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): North Korea's missile launch set off reactions around the world. Its allies, China and Russia, urged calm. But South Korea called it reckless and President Obama demanded action from the U.N. Security Council.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea broke the rules once again.

LAWRENCE: North Korea claims it put a satellite into orbit. But U.S. defense officials say it failed.

(on camera): Here's the launch site on the eastern side of North Korea. U.S. Navy missile destroyers are positioned here, and here, on both sides of Japan. Stage one of the rocket falls right here in the Sea of Japan, roughly where the North Koreans thought it would. But then a few minutes later, something goes wrong, because the satellite does not make it into orbit and part of the rocket falls here into the Pacific Ocean.

(voice-over): U.S. officials say the payload did not separate successfully during the last stage, but North Korea was able to control its rocket through that point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is a significant step forward for any missile program because oftentimes those missiles become unstable as they go through these staging events.

LAWRENCE: This was a more advanced rocket than the one North Korea launched in 1998, and it improved the range from a similar test in 2006, when the missile blew apart 40 seconds after launch. But experts say the longer test gave the U.S. military more to study.

CHARLES VICK, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: I think for the first time we've gotten full images of the entire vehicle. I don't think we've ever fully had that except back in 1994 when we saw the mock-up of the concept of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: And the U.S. can incorporate that information into its own missile defense systems. Experts say this missile could potentially reach Alaska and Hawaii and could carry a nuclear warhead.

Now, North Korea is not there yet, but there's a concern that it could sell the technology that it does have to other nations which may be developing their own nuclear programs -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Chris Lawrence for us this morning. All right, thanks so much.

And we are digging deeper into this in a couple of minutes. Christiane Amanpour is with us in the studio.

COSTELLO: And some of the stories we're covering this morning, strong winds making it very tough for firefighters to contain several wildfires in Texas. The largest, a 12,000 acre blaze around the panhandle town of Wheeler. The fire is about 25 percent contained. It's already killed cattle and burned through eight homes and about 28 buildings.

Right now, winds are also fanning four other fires and other parts of the state. Dozens of firefighters are being treated for smoke inhalation.

This morning, Madonna is back in England. She left Malawi yesterday after a judge there rejected her bid to adopt a 3 1/2-year- old girl. The singer has since filed an appeal against the ruling. Madonna's ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, has come out in support for Madonna calling her a fantastic and loving mother.

And the military ends its nearly two decade ban on news coverage of America's fallen heroes returning from overseas. This morning, the images from the solemn ceremony.

It's nine minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We're "Minding Your Business" now as we fast forward to stories you'll see on CNN and CNN.com today.

Airlines getting marks for quality of flight. Higher marks this morning. The Department of Transportation will officially release the results of an annual industry study by private researchers, and it says that airlines did a better job last year when it came to rates of lost bags, late arrivals, and passengers bumped from flights as well as consumer complaints.

Singer Chris Brown will be in court in Los Angeles this afternoon for his arraignment on felony assault charges. Brown is accused of attacking his girlfriend singer, Rihanna. The celebrity Web site TMZ is reporting that Brown will make a deal so that Rihanna doesn't have to testify.

And this afternoon, 1:30 Eastern, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce which of the multi-million dollar weapons programs will be cut or delayed. It's an effort to rein in defense spending which has soared 72 percent since 2000. Depending on which programs are affected, thousands of jobs could be cut -- Carol.

COSTELLO: The military ending its 18-year ban on news organizations photographing the arrival of America's fallen soldiers from overseas. The first pictures were taken last night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Families now have the choice of whether to allow coverage of the arrival ceremony. The family of Air Force Sergeant Phillip Myers of Hopewell, Virginia, agreed to allow the cameras.

The sensitive issue was brought to the forefront during a White House news conference when our own Ed Henry asked the president if he planned on overturning the policy. You know, this is an issue generating a lot of conversation this morning, and we want to hear what you have to say about it. So call our show. Call our show hotline 1-877-my-amfix, 1-877-my-amfix.

North Korea's weekend rocket launch may have failed to put a satellite in orbit but it did get the world's attention. President Obama pushing for the U.N. to punish North Korea but so far the Security Council has been unable to agree on a response.

Joining us to look at that, CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. Welcome.

So President Obama has called this a provocative act but the U.N. Security Council can't agree on what to do about it, so what can anyone do about it?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does seem that the only thing that they can do about it is at the best to try to get a Security Council presidential statement condemning it and to try to reaffirm existing sanctions on North Korea, however, that even hasn't happened yet. And obviously, there's going to be more discussions but I think that certainly the world is looking at this and trying to figure out what it was exactly that North Korea did.

You know, there's a lot of confusion today. Obviously people are calling it a failure because it didn't go into orbit. Some are saying this might have been a setback for its missile program or its military program which would be good in terms of the United States. Others are suggesting that it might actually be sort of progress because the missile did go further than it did in 2006.

COSTELLO: Others are saying it's perfectly OK because they should have a right to launch a satellite into orbit.

AMANPOUR: Well, there is that. On the other hand, there are Security Council resolutions that prohibit this kind of testing and this kind of launching. But yes, there are those who say that they want to sort of debate that and obviously today from what we're hearing over the last emergency session of the U.N., countries such as Russia, China, apparently Vietnam and Libya didn't want to further penalize North Korea because they said why further isolate this country which has already got its back to the wall. We don't know anything about what's going on there, better to sort of try to keep it engaged.

CHETRY: Interesting, though, because this could be a turning point and we're going to hopefully be able to talk a little bit to Susan Rice, the U.N. ambassador, the United States U.N. ambassador, about this situation. Would it be an opportunity perhaps to have talks, direct talks between North Korea and the United States?

AMANPOUR: That's always been sort of an open issue. Throughout the years of the Bush administration, there was a desire not to engage with North Korea. In fact, they came out of agreements of the Clinton administration had made with North Korea. Then finally when they went back into diplomacy, they only did it in concert with their other allies in the region, calling it the Six-party talks.

There's a notion about among certain views, political views in this country that one shouldn't engage North Korea directly because that would mean rewarding North Korea. Others say no. It's not rewarding North Korea to engage directly, it's actually getting your policy on the table and being able to deal with your specific issues.

And certainly what we've seen is that over the last year when North Korea disarmed or shut down Yongbyon and started dismantling it, then blew up the cooling tower which we were invited, a very small group of journalist to witness, it was their attempt, a sort of goodwill on this process, they're saying that their issue now is not with the United States but actually with Japan and South Korea.

So what you have is the U.S. wanting its policies to be achieved which is disarmament, but in this big group of country, the Six-party talks, other countries are able to weigh in, and so this has also slowed down the progress of this disarmament process.

CHETRY: All right. Well, we'll see because at this point, there's not even an agreement within the Security Council about condemnation for this latest launch. So we'll continue to follow that this morning.

Christiane, great to see you. Thanks.

And Michelle Obama took the world stage, of course, and the Europeans loved every minutes of it. We're going to take a look at the first lady's trip abroad and the lasting impression she made. It's 17 and a half minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After First Lady Michelle Obama was photographed in London this week wearing clothes from J.Crew, the store has been selling out of the clothes she was seen wearing. Now if someone can just get her to drive a Chrysler.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: It's very true.

COSTELLO: Good idea.

CHETRY: I got to tell you.

Thank you, first lady Michelle Obama.

COSTELLO: I know. Kiran has gone out to buy every J.Crew sweater because there is actually a J.Crew store in the Time Warner Center. She runs upstairs and buys everything available.

CHETRY: Hey, in a pinch, you know.

COSTELLO: It looks good.

CHETRY: Right down the street, I mean literally.

Well, this morning, the first lady is back home in Washington after an extraordinary trip overseas that much of Europe is still buzzing about. And Suzanne Malveaux got to see "Michelle mania" as they're calling it up close. She's live in Ankara, Turkey, traveling with the president.

Hi, Suzanne. Any J.Crew on you this morning?

MALVEAUX: No, J.Crew but, you know, I do wear J.Crew, so she's got great style. And you know, today, she goes back to being mommy in chief. She's seeing off Sasha and Malia to school, and this really does come after an extraordinary trip, and there are still a lot of folks that are buzzing about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): She had them at hello. Michelle Obama took the world stage by storm, and the Europeans responded.

NIA MALIKA HENDERSON, POLITICO.COM: She went there Michelle Obama, and she came back Mighty Michelle.

MALVEAUX: Just call me Michelle, she requested to nearly everyone she met, followed by a hug, winning her the headline as hugger in chief. While the paparazzi followed her every move, the fashionistas followed her style from Jimmy Choo to J.Crew.

But it was her brush with royalty that won over many of the Brits. Her break in protocol, this warm embrace with the queen, had the world talking, but even her majesty seemed taken with the first lady. Buckingham Palace said the hug was a mutual and spontaneous display of affection.

When the two parted, the queen was overheard asking Michelle, would you please keep in touch? Then came the much anticipated meeting with French first lady Carla Bruni.

The tabloids portrayed it as a fashion face-off between the former Victoria's Secret model and the 5'10" Ivy Leaguer. But their friendship was immediately sealed with a kiss kiss. And as for popularity, "The London Times" gave Michelle the front page and asked Carla who.

But the defining moment of Michelle's trip came during her visit to a London girl's school where she talked about her own humble beginnings.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: For nothing in my life's path would have predicted that I'd be standing here as the first African-American first lady of the United States of America. There was nothing in my story that would land me here. I wasn't raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of. I was raised on the south side of Chicago. That's a real part of Chicago.

MALVEAUX: Breaking out of the stagecraft and sharing spontaneous moments helped her win over Europe and perhaps even make inroads for her husband's administration.

HENDERSON: She kind of gives people, you know, kind of a fun way to, you know, entry into the administration. And so I think ultimately she helps America, she helps her husband's platform, his international platform and even his domestic platform.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So the question is, what is she going to do with this new international fame, this goodwill? How is she going to use it? And her aides say well, she's not going to be globe trotting. She is, however, going to be focusing on some of those issues that she's made her priority if it's military families, also community service obviously, raising her daughters.

And you know, it is also a big month. She's going to be getting ready for commencement speeches. There's the Easter egg hunt, the roll. And then the new White House dog that's supposed to be arriving later in the month. So she's got a lot on her plate.

CHETRY: Exactly. Because no matter what the kids promise in the end, mom ends up walking the dog, right?

COSTELLO: And cleaning up after the dog. CHETRY: Exactly.

CHETRY: Suzanne Malveaux for us, thanks so much.

Coming up at our next hour, we're going to be talking more about the first lady's trip. 7:54 Eastern time, we're going to be talking with Laura Brown of "Harper's Bazaar".

COSTELLO: We're also following breaking news this morning. Italy rocked to its core after a killer earthquake strikes overnight. Right now, the death toll is rising as rescuers braved the aftershocks to help those still trapped.

And President Obama on the ground in Turkey where he's finishing up his overseas trip by introducing himself and his policies to the Muslim world. We're talking with a Middle East expert about the visit.

It's 25 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm so happy. That's my favorite group, "The Killers." Thank you.

Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We're taking a live look at Denver. Thanks to our friends at KUSA. It's 26 degrees there now, but it's going to go up to 52. It's going to be sunny which will be good for people flying in and out of that city today.

It's 28 minutes past the hour. Here are some of our top stories this morning. Breaking news right now, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in central Italy killing more than 20 people including four children.

The medieval city of L'Aquila was among the hardest hit. The powerful earthquake reducing dozens of buildings into piles of rubble. Thousand are now homeless and there are aftershocks hampering the rescue efforts. The prime minister has declared a state of emergency.

Funerals and a candlelight vigil for the victims of Friday's shooting rampage in Binghamton, New York. Police say the gunman, 41- year-old Jiverly Voong, killed 13 people at an immigration center before killing himself. Authorities are defending the police response to the shooting saying the victims were too seriously wounded to survive even if the officers had entered the building immediately.

And GM's new chief executive appears to be softening his position to bankruptcy reorganization. In an interview on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," Fritz Henderson said, "If it's required that's what we will do." But he said GM's aim is still to avoid bankruptcy while restructuring. President Obama and his auto industry task force have suggested bankruptcy may be the best way for struggling Detroit automakers to survive in the long term.

CHETRY: And in just about 20 minutes, President Obama will stand side by side and face the media with America's best friend in the Muslim world, Turkey, the only Muslim country with troops in Afghanistan and the only Muslim nation in NATO.

Joining us to talk about the president's mission in Turkey, Reza Aslan, Middle East analyst and also author of the book "How to Win a Cosmic War." He's in Istanbul.

You're going to be attending a conference actually a little bit later today, tomorrow, actually, on the East-West relations. Thanks for being with us this morning, Reza.

We talked a little bit in that...

REZA ASLAN, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: My pleasure.

CHETRY: We talked a little bit in that introduction about why Turkey is such a strategic ally for the United States. So as our president goes and he stands side by side with the prime minister of Turkey, what is the most important thing to come out of that strategically today in your opinion?

ASLAN: Well, I think you said it best, turkey is the most important Muslim authority (ph) state when it comes to the United States' interest in the region. And what's striking is that until quite recently, the U.S. got an unfavorability rating here in Turkey of upwards of 90 percent if you can believe that, which is quite astonishing when you think about the secular, modern democratic state that has very close ties with Israel. It wants to become a part of the E.U.

And I think what Obama wants to do is, he wants to renew those ties. He wants to make U.S.-Turkey relations the bedrock for the way in which he's going reach out to the rest of the Muslim world.

CHETRY: All right. You know, we're having -- I see that you seem to be having some feedback as well. We're having some audio issues. We're going to try to work them in the next question, if not, we'll take a break and come back to you, Reza.

ASLAN: OK.

CHETRY: But first, let me ask you about this -- about the prime minister. It was very interesting what Prime Minister Erdogan said in an interview with the "New York Times." He said, "I consider personally the election of Barack Hussein Obama to have great symbolic meaning. A Muslim and a Christian name -- so in his name there is a synthesis."

And you talk about the Turkish attitude after the war in Iraq, it dropped down to only 12 percent of people asked in Turkey if they a favorable opinion of the United States. So when we talk about the importance of getting this strategic ally to view us favorably and to be on board with some of the things that we feel we need to have happen in the region, how is President Obama as a man going to be able to make that difference?

ASLAN: I think Erdogan said it very nicely. I think Barack Obama is in some ways the bridge -- and metaphorically speaking, Istanbul is the bridge between the east and west, something the Turks are have very, very proud of here. And I think that the important thing right now is that Obama wants to make the U.S.-Turkish alliance the foundation for how he's going to reach out to the rest of the Muslim world.

Turkey, of course, incredibly important when it comes to the geopolitics in the region, our hopes for dialogue with the groups like Hamas, our hopes for diplomacy with Iran -- all of these things are issues in which Turkey can play a very important role and I think Obama ...

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: All right. Yes. We're having a little bit of trouble with the audio reaching Reza. And so, we're going to try to check in with him a little bit later.

COSTELLO: I understood every other word, which was the problem.

CHETRY: Yes, exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Reza -- we'll be back to him if we can.

As you know right now, President Obama is in Turkey wrapping up his whirlwind swing through Europe going face to face with world leaders on the economy, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So how did he do?

And personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, has some important information on mortgage scams and how to make sure you don't become a victim.

It's 32 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This week, President Obama attended what was either the G-20 Summit or his high school reunion. I haven't seen old white dude this excited to meet a black guy since Michael Jordan's fantasy camp.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CO-ANCHOR: It was the frat boy picture. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. "Saturday Night Live" with its take on President Obama's first overseas trip.

Right now he's in Turkey, where we're awaiting a news conference. It is the last leg of a trip that's also taken him to France, where he got NATO allies to share a little bit more responsibility for Afghanistan. And in London, where the leaders from around the world tackled the global financial crisis.

So, how did the president do? David Frum is a former presidential speechwriter and founder of newmajority.com, and he joins me live from Washington this morning. Good morning, David.

DAVID FRUM, FOUNDER, NEWMAJORITY.COM: Good morning.

COSTELLO: OK, so you worked for George W. Bush, and I wanted to ask this right off the top as far as the difference in styles between President Bush and President Obama. In fact, a reporter asked President Obama about that difference. Let's hear what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. OBAMA: (INAUDIBLE) best when we are listening, when we lead by example, when we show some element of humility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So that is President Obama's take. What's yours between the difference between these two men?

FRUM: Well, stylistically, it's the difference between a smooth creamy and delicious caramel and a spicy jalapeno pepper swallowed whole. Barack Obama goes down easily. President Bush tends to bring a little bit of a sneeze to the nose and tears to the eye. But on the substance, Barack Obama did not achieve very much on the trip. And we're all being very polite saying the president didn't get everything he wanted, he got a little bit more help. In fact, he got nothing that he wanted. He went to Europe...

COSTELLO: So, does style not make a difference then?

FRUM: I think the style does make a difference. And obviously, good relations are always to be preferred to bad. And America does have an image in the world, and President Obama has contributed to, I think, improving that, partly by criticizing his predecessor.

His humility is not so much self-criticism, it's criticism of George Bush. But why shouldn't he join in that sport, too.

COSTELLO: Well, David, some might say, some might say...

FRUM: But substantively, he went there with two asks. He went there to ask for European governments to run up their deficits in order to do fiscal stimulus to match America's and for a big contribution of troops to Afghanistan. And he got neither. He got zero.

COSTELLO: Some might say, David, that this is a first trip for a new president. He's new in office. And what can you expect from a first time? FRUM: I would say that people who say that don't understand how these trips work. Barack Obama will never be more powerful than he is right now. From here on, it's all downhill. An American president's first request is always going to be his most honored request. So, if he is not able to get what he wants financially or in terms of troops now, he's not going do better six months from now or a year from now. He's going to do worse.

COSTELLO: He's in Turkey right now, and he's going to be speaking before the Turkish parliament. Of course, it's a largely Muslim country. What should he say?

FRUM: I think he needs to be very careful about having a specifically Muslim appeal. He needs to speak to Muslim Turks the way he speaks to secular Christian Europeans. He needs be to very careful because there's a risk if you make a distinctively Muslim appeal that you will find yourself agreeing to a definition of what it means to be Muslim that comes from some of the more strident people in the Islamic world.

COSTELLO: Do you that Turkey will help us out with more troops in Afghanistan?

FRUM: No. No one will. No one will. I mean, beyond a few scattered selected people and some training missions, this is going to be a war that is much more America's war now than it has been until now. And the question that Americans have to confront is is the investment Barack Obama is making in Afghanistan, it is too big or too little? There's a real risk that he's putting in a very big investment, but not big enough to achieve his ends. And if you send short of enough, then maybe you've sent too many.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, Washington is making a big deal of this money that it's getting from, you know, France to train police officers within Afghanistan or to train Afghan troops. Would that be enough? Because isn't that part of the reason that America had some success in Iraq because they were able to train Iraqi forces to take over security in that country?

FRUM: I had the good fortune to visit Afghanistan in the fall, to visit the NATO missions there. The problem of police training is, I mean, money might make a difference.

But their problems with the Afghan police are embedded in the very structure of that force and nature of that country. It would take a massive undertaking to improve the Afghan police force. A few additional French trainers not going to make a difference, especially because they now have trainers from half a dozen different countries, and that in itself is a big part of the problem.

COSTELLO: David Frum, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

FRUM: Thank you.

CHETRY: All right. Well, as we said, President Obama is in Turkey this morning. We're expecting the president to speak in the next few minutes. And we're standing by to bring you his remarks live.

Also still ahead, with mortgage rates super-low, the risk of mortgage fraud is actually growing. Personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us with some tips to make sure you avoid scams.

It's 41 minutes after the hour.

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COSTELLO: We're having too much fun this morning. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 43 minutes past the hour.

We want to warn you that feathers are flying on Wall Street, more than a thousand people taking part in the fourth annual Pillow Fight Day. Did you know it was Pillow Fight Day?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: It was over the weekend. One of our iReporters, Rob Harper, sent us these pictures. Organizers say the recession and outrage over bank bailouts made New York's financial district a poignant setting for a pillow fight. New York was actually one of 109 cities taking part in Pillow Fight Day.

CHETRY: See that? I mean, how far we've come, yet, in the end, just because there's three women on set, they have to do a story on a pillow fight.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: Our male producer is doing a story about a pillow fight just because we're here.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: I thought it looked like fun.

CHETRY: OK. And Gerri has hers under the desk. No, I'm kidding.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: Gerri actually is joining us, "Minding Your Business" this morning. Because we talked about the low rates for mortgages that are cropping up right now.

WILLIS. That's right.

CHETRY: Interest rates are really at a low we haven't seen in a while. But that, of course, opens us all up to scammers as well.

WILLIS: Yes. And this is really bad news because, you know, people out there struggling with mortgages -- they are rife for these problems.

Here's what you need to know: Tim Geithner today will hold a press conference to announce a crackdown on these scammers. But let me tell you, these guys really have the upper hand right now. There are as many kinds of scams as there are scammers out there.

Federal Reserve is getting involved, too. They're launching an ad campaign in movie theaters across the country where they're going to warn you about the different kinds of mortgage scams out there. These are 30-second ads in 28 different movie theaters. You'll definitely want to pay attention to that.

So, what do need to know about this? Well, there are lots of kinds of scams as I've said before.

Let's talk about foreclosure scams first. So, if you're having a problem paying your mortgage out there, you want to make sure that you don't take any offers where people ask for payment up front to bail you out of fraud. This is really typically the way this thing happens, is that you get something in the mail, it's like a postcard that says, "We'll bail you out. We're going to rescue you from fraud." It doesn't happen that way.

Don't sign anything you don't understand because that could be something that means you're signing over your deed to a scammer. Don't do that; don't go there. Check out people you work with. There are a handful of people who are legitimate in this area. There aren't many. Go to BBB.org for details.

That's a scary fraud. You are in foreclosure, somebody tells you, "Hey, I can get you out of that."

But let me tell you, there's one that's even worse. It's that called "deed fraud." This is where they steal your deed. They steal your house from under you, and in all likelihood, you've paid this whole thing off already, OK? This happens to elderly people. Particularly in Florida, it's a very big problem.

And I just want to warn people because it's fairly new. And it's something you need to be on the lookout for because you may think if you paid off your house, you're off the hook.

COSTELLO: OK. So, who do you to for help to know what you're doing? Do you have to hire a lawyer which many people can't afford? What do you...

WILLIS: You mean, if you're in foreclosure or...

COSTELLO: Yes. If you're in foreclosure, and you want...

WILLIS: Right.

COSTELLO: ... you may want to like engage one of these people who send the postcards in the mail. What do you do to check it out?

WILLIS: Well, I wouldn't check out the people in the postcards and the mail. I would hire my own attorney to help me out. What they'll do is look for any mistakes that were made in issuing a mortgage in the first place. And that's the best way to set something in motion, to get you of foreclosure. But I have to tell you, somebody sends you something in the mail, completely ignore it.

COSTELLO: Throw it away.

CHETRY: To deal with your bank, you make those calls.

WILLIS: That's right. Absolutely right, Kiran.

CHETRY: Don't answer calls...

WILLIS: Yes.

CHETRY: ... and think that you're getting help, that someone is just deciding to try to help you.

WILLIS: You have to be active here. You got to pick up the telephone. You have to make the calls and get the people and the help you need.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Gerri.

Well, also, looking ahead this week, several big business stories that we're going to be watching for you. There's more now in A.M. next (ph). For tomorrow, businesses begin releasing their first quarter earnings. The expectations are low right now. But if earnings are better, it could actually help rally stocks.

On Wednesday, a key reading from the Commerce Department on wholesale inventories, it seems like you just had showed that businesses reduced their inventories for six straight months.

Also on Thursday, the Labor Department releases its weekly jobless claims reports. We'll have that number and what it means for your bottom line as well.

Also, a reminder, the CNN Money Team wants to hear your questions. So, call our show hotline, 877-MY-AMFIX, and you can leave a question for our in-house money experts and they'll answer some of them right here on the show.

COSTELLO: Right now, dangerous winds fanning flames in Texas and a winter blast across much of the upper Midwest. CNN's Rob Marciano is keeping an eye on all the action.

And breaking right now, President Obama in Turkey. He is expected to speak -- oh, in about 10 minutes or so. His first official visit to the Muslim world; why that country is key to building bridges?

It's 48 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 51 minutes past the hour.

Let's fast forward to the stories that will be making news later today.

A Big Apple landmark goes green this morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Former President Bill Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be on hand as the Empire State Building unveils its groundbreaking new energy-efficient technology.

The Boston Red Sox is hoping to have Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy throw out the ceremonial first pitch this afternoon in Fenway Park. The Bo Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays in their season opener. Ted Kennedy, as you know, has been battling brain cancer for the past year. I hope he makes it.

And it's the last dance. North Carolina and Michigan State will meet tonight in college basketball's National Championship game. The Tar Heels are favored, but who cares? I'm pushing for Michigan State because wouldn't that be great for Detroit, Kiran?

Yes, go Michigan State.

CHETRY: What would be better if our first lady drove a Chrysler or if, you know, your Michigan State won?

COSTELLO: If Michigan State wins like the big -- I think it would be great for Detroit. For the fans there, 72,000 packed the arena on Saturday to watch them defeat a heavily favored team.

CHETRY: See that? Carol, I know, you love -- you should be the honorary, you know, the honorary chair woman of Michigan.

COSTELLO: I should be. I love Michigan.

CHETRY: Get in a "Go Lions" flag while you're at it. Why not?

COSTELLO: You're just mad because you lost the football poll. Anyway, I think we're going to weather, right?

CHETRY: That's right. We're talking to Rob Marciano right now.

I don't know how you did in your little office poll. I'm out. I'm out, I had Pittsburgh going all the way. Why did I do that?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you should have -- I picked Cornell to win all the way. That was a big mistake.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: You know, Carol -- I think Carol is from Ohio. She's such a Midwest homer going for Michigan like that.

COSTELLO: I'm a Midwest homer.

(LAUGHTER)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Tempers rise across the globe after North Korea's rocket launch on Sunday. The United States and Japan are demanding swift action from the U.N. Security Council. Instead, they get a long meeting and no answers. We'll tell you why just ahead.

It's 54 minutes past the hour.

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